This blog continues the discussion that we began with Epic Journey: The 2008 Elections and American Politics (Rowman and Littlefield, 2009).The latest book in this series is Defying the Odds: the 2016 Elections and American Politics.

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Defying the Odds

New book about the 2016 election.

Saturday, December 27, 2014

"Who Wants a Deadbeat for President?"

So maybe it isn’t totally crazy that Fiorina is running for president even if she’s never won an election. But it is totally crazy that Fiorina is running for the White House when, according to federal election reports, her 2010 campaign still owes $486,418 to creditors. Who wants a deadbeat for president?

Like the evil George Wickham in “Pride and Prejudice,” Fiorina skipped California owing buckets of cash to her one-time pals. She owes $60,000 to former campaign manager Marty Wilson, who now works for the California Chamber of Commerce, and another $20,000 to his former communications firm. She shorted her lawyer Ben Ginsberg, formerly of Patton Boggs, to the tune of $44,000. She owes $3,750 to a former press secretary, $5,000 to another communications aide and $7,500 to her erstwhile political director. She stiffed political consultant Joe Shumate, who died in 2010, to the tune of $30,000. (Yes, she stiffed a stiff — even though she lauded Shumate as a “trusted adviser and friend” upon his death.)

GOP consultant Jason Roe tells National Journal:"I don't think Carly's running for president. I think Carly's running for vice president. If Hillary Clinton's the nominee, Republicans need a woman front and center—probably on the ticket. And Carly knows that." If that is Fiorina's real plan, it does not make sense, either. The 2016 nominee could choose from a number of Republican women who have actually won elections (e.g., Susana Martinez, Kelly Ayotte). And her tenure at HP carries all the political liabilities of Romney's record at Bain -- but without any of the success.